GURPS - Compendium 1..

One roll is required every five minutes, or whenever execut ing
a difficult maneuver. On a failure, the dress fills with water and
the diver must swim to the surface, at -2 to Swimming skill. On a
critical failure of either the Diving or Swimming roll, he is tangled
in his lines and cannot get up. Unless his handlers pull him up,
he is doomed.
Orienteering/TL (Mental/Average) Defaults to IQ-5
or Navigation-2
This is the ability to locate oneself with respect to terrain (the
U.S. military calls this "land navigation"). Orienteering rolls are -
1 to -10 (GM's discretion) for being in an unfamiliar area. It is
much harder to locate oneself in the Arctic barrens than in
downtown Cleveland!
Modifiers: Orienteering rolls are +1 for an accurate map, a
compass or clear view of the sun or stars and at least one hour to
make observations (these bonuses are not cumulative); +3 if you
have Absolute Direction, or are using a high-tech global positioning
system or inertial compass.
Skating (Physical/Hard)
See p. 132 under Athletic Skills.
Surveying/TL (Mental/Average)
See p. 158 under Scientific Skills.
Defaults to DX-6
Defaults to IQ-5
Survival (Urban) (Mental/Average) Defaults to IQ-5
This talent covers the physical part of staying alive in a city
environment, whether it's overpopulated or empty. The social
problems of city survival are covered by the Streetwise skill. A
specialist in Urban Survival could (for instance) find clean rainwater;
locate manholes from above or below; quickly locate
building entrances, exits, stairwells, and so on; recognize and
avoid physically dangerous areas, like crumbling buildings;
make and read city maps, and find his way out of strange city
areas; find a warm place to sleep outside in cold weather; and
locate common types of buildings or businesses without asking
anyone, just by his "feel" for the way cities are laid out.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Abacus (Mental/Average)
No default
This skill allows you to use an abacus to perform calculations.
Simple problems can be solved in one second and difficult ones
in two seconds; complex problems will take at least five seconds,
and often more. A failure with this skill produces an obvious
wrong answer. A critical success with this skill will halve the
computation time for all but simple problems; a critical failure
will cause a subtle error that looks like a right answer.
Aviation/TL (Mental/Average) Defaults to IQ-5
Professional aviators require a body of additional knowledge
beyond that required to steer the vehicle. This normally covers
the basics of map reading and navigation, practical meteorology,
aerial laws and regulations, and so on.
Bartender (Mental/Average) Defaults to Carousing-3
This skill incorporates knowledge of stocking and maintaining
a professional-quality bar, in addition to knowing how to mix a
variety of drinks.
A professional bartender also knows how to interact with customers
in a professional yet friendly way - including the ability to
calm down unruly drunks before the bouncer needs to get involved.
At higher levels, the skill takes on an element of showmanship,
allowing the bartender to present the drinks in unique and attractive
ways, and to mix them with showy tricks and flourishes.
Finally, a bartender will have a working knowledge of local
laws relating to alcohol trade and consumption, and will be able
to accurately gauge the intoxication level of any given customer.
Courtesan (Mental/Average)
Defaults to
Savoir-Faire-5
This skill represents the business side of high-class prostitution
(and is quite different from Professional skill:
Streetwalker). It involves knowing and avoiding entanglements
with the law or organized crime, making professional contacts,
calming or escaping from unruly or dangerous customers, and
various techniques of professional seduction. It also includes a
detailed knowledge of birth control and disease prevention techniques
available at the character's culture and tech level.
Cyberdeck Operation/TL (Mental/Very Hard)
Defaults to Computer Operation-8
This is the ability to operate a neurally-controlled cyberdeck; it
exists only in worlds where there is a Net. It controls how well
you move through the Net, how many programs you can control
at once, and many other variables. See Chapter 3 of GURPS
Cyberpunk for more information.
In order to manipulate the Net in ways the original programmers
did not intend, you will need both this skill and
Computer Hacking (p. 155). When you are hacking on the Net,
your effective Cyberdeck Operation skill cannot be greater than
your Hacking skill.
Exorcism (Mental/Hard)
Defaults to IQ-6 or Theology-3
To drive a spirit from its possessed victim or its haunt
requires an exorcism. Someone without the Clerical Investment
advantage takes a -4 to his Exorcism skill or default when performing
the ritual - he may understand the ritual, but he lacks a
priest's holy support. A NPC clergyman will usually perform
this ritual for free, if the players can convince him that the person
or location is actually possessed.
Exorcism is not a magical skill; it is a religious skill involving
a complex ritual (although, depending upon the originating
culture of the spirit, it might be performed with equal efficiency
by a Malay witch-doctor or a Catholic priest). The length of
the ritual depends on the HT of the spirit (generally 15 minutes
for every 1 HT possessed by the spirit). Upon completion of
the ritual, the exorcist rolls against his Exorcism skill or
default value. Some spirits will wait patiently through the ritual,
anticipating the combat to come; others will try to distract or
disable the exorcist before the ritual can be completed. If the
Exorcism roll fails, the spirit remains, and the exorcist must
wait at least a week before repeating the ritual. On a critical
failure, the exorcist rolls on the Fright Check table (see p. B94),
adding 10 to his die roll. Furthermore, even if he keeps his
sanity, he may never attempt to exorcise this particular spirit
again.
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